The BDE at ESSEC

By Souhayl Amar, 1st year MSc in Management student

The BDE (which stands for Bureau des Élèves) is the student union of ESSEC. It plays a key role in the vibrating and fast-paced student life on campus. It serves also as an bridge between the administration and other clubs. Students belonging to the BDE are highly involved in student life and being part of the BDE involves a strong commitment to that student life. Organising events throughout the year is highly demanding and the hours can be long, so their commitment is much appreciated by all the students!

The BDE in student life

The BDE organises all kind of activities and events both on its own and in coordination with other student clubs. Major events held during the school year include:

• WEI (Week End d’Integration): weekend organised at the beginning of the year where newly admitted students get the chance to travel somewhere far from campus and get to know each other while participating in activities, parties, etc.
• Nuit de l’ESSEC: Largest electronic student party in France, with more than 3000 students attending from several universities. The line-up is quite impressive every year, and the event is sold-out way before the event date.
• T5B (Tournoi des 5 Ballons): sports tournament where students from French and foreign universities compete in 5 sports: football, basketball, volleyball, handball and rugby. The campus hosts other activities to entertain students.
• And many more! 

Students clubs sometimes also ask for help and/or involvement of the BDE to organise big events!

The BDE as a bridge between administration and students

The BDE also takes part in debates and discussion around the academic topics of the MSc in Management, and makes sure that students’ opinion is taken into account in several matters such as courses, tracks, chairs and exchanges.

Electing the BDE

Every year around May, a new BDE is elected by all the MSc in Management students. Two teams run for the student union, each one composed of around 40 students coming from different backgrounds (ASC, AST and ASTI). Lots of activities are organized during a week where the 2 lists compete and try to offer the best activities in order to convince students to vote for them. The campus is transformed and each list has its own name, logo, and colours. They offer food and drinks to students through free breakfasts, parties, games, etc. At the end of the week, students are invited to vote and the results are published.